We recall the most striking misalliances with the participation of actresses, models and representatives of royal dynasties.
When it became known that Prince Harry and former American actress Meghan Markle were going to get married, many condemned this misalliance. After all, Harry is the brother of the future king, and it was expected that he would choose a girl from an aristocratic family. The origin of the Sussex woman is still one of the key arguments of her haters, especially in light of the girl’s “out of protocol” behavior.
However, in reality, unions between “ordinary” actresses or models and men from the aristocratic classes or even royal families are not so uncommon. We decided to recall a few striking, albeit less resonant examples.
Sofia Hellqvist and Prince Carl Philip
Before Sofia Hellqvist met Swedish Prince Carl Philip, she was a model and actress, known for the reality show Paradise Hotel. The girl met a member of the royal family in a restaurant; they were introduced to each other by mutual friends. A few years later, the couple tied the knot and now have three children. According to the ex-model, her husband’s family received her warmly and never made her feel out of place.
Olivia Wilde and Tao Ruspoli
Few people know, but the star of “House” was married to Italian aristocrat and director Tao Ruspoli. Tao is the son of Italian prince Alessandro Raspoli. The couple tied the knot just six months after meeting, when Olivia was just 18 years old. Wilde received the title of princess, but admitted that this did not affect their life in any way.
Alas, the marriage of the actress and a representative of an ancient family broke up in 2011. According to rumors, one of the reasons was Wilde’s reluctance to have children at such a young age.
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III
Perhaps the most famous example of misalliance in the 20th century, which from the outside really looked like a fairy tale: one of the most beautiful Hollywood actresses and a stately ruler of a European principality. They met at the Cannes Film Festival and, according to Grace, immediately fell in love.
However, in reality everything was not so rosy: Kelly had to give up a brilliant career and her fortune. Moreover, in order to become the legal wife of the monarch, the actress paid a dowry of $2 million to the Monaco treasury.
Jessica Chastain and Gian Luca Passi di Preposulo
The husband of the Hollywood actress is a member of an ancient Italian aristocratic family. His father holds the title of Count, which Gian Luca will most likely inherit (and Jessica will become a Countess). However, the couple lives a completely “earthly” life, without enjoying any “blue blood” privileges.
Sophie Winkleman and Frederick Windsor
For some reason, when discussing the marriage of Megan and Harry, many forget that there has been another actress in BCS for a long time. Sophie married the son of Prince Michael of Kent in 2009.
Since Frederick is far from the British throne, no one forbade the girl to continue her career in Los Angeles. It is curious that, according to Sophie, her American colleagues often did not know that she was now a member of the British royal family (on the set, the actress used her maiden name).
Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Khan
Rita Hayworth was one of the first Hollywood actresses to marry into the royal family. The son of Sultan Aga Khan III, the leader of the Nizari Muslims, fell in love with the red-haired beauty when he saw her in the film Gilda. In 1949 the couple got married. But a few years later, Rita and their common daughter fled back to the USA. And soon after that she filed for divorce, citing “extreme cruelty on the part of Khan” as the reason.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest
The actress has been married to an English aristocrat since 1984. In 1996, Christopher inherited the title of Baron Hayden-Guest, and Jamie became a Baroness. However, the titles do not affect their lives in any way – both are busy with creativity (Christopher is also an actor and screenwriter) and live in the USA. However, for some time Guest visited the British Parliament and even sat in the House of Lords.
Laura Harring and Karl von Bismarck
Miss USA and David Lynch’s muse (Laura became famous after her role in his film Mulholland Drive) was married to Count Karl von Bismarck, great-great-grandson of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The marriage lasted only two years – from 1987 to 1989. According to rumors, the reason for the divorce was the fact that Laura did not want to give up her acting career.